Audi A4 Avant review

The A4 Avant isn’t as good to drive as a BMW 3 Series Touring. It’s by no means bad, the A4 just isn’t as fun or involving as its arch-rival.

But that’s OK, because Audi has instead spent its time and money making the A4 feel as cultured and high-quality as the much larger, more expensive A8 limo. And for the most part it’s done a very good job. This is an especially calming, very comfortable and quiet car. 

REMIND ME OF MY ENGINE OPTIONS.

All are 2.0-litre four-cylinders unless you step up to the six-cylinder S4 and RS4. Those badged ‘35’ get 148bhp/161bhp in the petrol and diesel respectively, and those badged ‘40’ getting a like-for-like 201bhp in the petrol and diesel variants. All models get a seven-speed auto gearbox as standard, while ‘quattro’ all-wheel drive is only fitted on the top-spec 40 TDI, with the 45 TFSI petrol no longer available.

As yet there’s no plug-in hybrid A4 to compete with the BMW 330e and Mercedes C300e (you can read a showdown between those two by clicking these blue words). Which is a particular shame for company car drivers who can make the most of the BiK tax benefits.

HOW DOES IT GO?

We’ve spent most time in the higher powered 40 TFSI petrol, arguably the sweet spot of the range with 201bhp, front-wheel drive and a seven-speed twin-clutch auto. It’s exceptionally quiet even when you’re accelerating hard, plenty powerful enough (0-62mph takes 7.3 seconds), pretty economical (more on that in the next paragraph) and a good match for the mostly smart automatic gearbox.

Our 40 TFSI returned 40mpg on a run or 35mpg day-to-day so neither will it cost you a bundle in fuel (unless yours is an RS4, obviously), and claims 148g/km of CO2 in Sport Edition spec (more, if you get an S Line with big wheels). The 35 TDI in the same Sport Edition spec claims 56.5mpg and 131g/km of CO2, making it worth considering if you’re prone to high motorway mileage.